“Since 1967, when Israel took control of the whole of
Jerusalem, Israel has been squeezing out the Palestinians and
“Judaising” the city”.

Response

Jerusalem’s Arab population is increasing quicker
than its Jewish population: According to a 2003 report
from the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs (JCPA), the number
of Arab citizens of Jerusalem has grown quicker than the number
of Jewish citizens. The number of young Arab citizens has increased
much quicker. This trend is the exact opposite of so-called “Judaisation”.

Terrorist attacks are targeted at Jerusalem’s
Jews not Arabs: Hundreds of Jews in Jerusalem have died
in terrorist attacks – suicide and bus bombings, multiple
stabbings, machine-gun attacks, bombings of pedestrian malls,
supermarkets and cafes and restaurants. These began shortly after
1967 and have continued (with lulls and then intensive periods)
ever since. The Arabs of East Jerusalem (unlike the Jews in the
rest of the city) do not live under the constant threat of random,
murderous attacks.

Palestinians deny the Jews’ religious connection
with Jerusalem: Many Arabs and Palestinians question
the Jewish connection with Jerusalem, in historical and religious
terms (most notoriously, Mr Arafat is reported to have questioned
the link at the Camp David talks in 2000). They question whether
ancient Jerusalem existed, frustrate archaeological excavations,
and rewrite Jewish history to suggest that the ancient Jewish
capital was elsewhere. By contrast, while many Israelis are do
point out that the Dome of the Rock is not as significant a religious
location as Mecca or Medina in the Arab world, no sensible Israelis
go so far as to claim that the Dome of the Rock has no religious
significance for Muslims. The effort to deny religious connection
is a one-way effort.

Conclusion

Far from the Israelis squeezing the Palestinians out, the Palestinians
are numerically in the ascendancy in Jerusalem. Their leaders
are conducting “ideological aggression” and their
terrorist groups carry out terrible acts of violence in an effort
to demoralise the Jews and to diminish the Jewish people’s
connection with its capital city and spiritual centre.